covington



(No Model.)

B. G. GOVINGTON.

BLOWER FOR FIRE PLACES.

No. 264,863. Patented Sept. 26, 1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN G. OOVINGTON, OF FORT MILL, SOUTH CAROLINA.

BLovvER FOR FIRE-PLACES.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 264,863, dated September 26, 1882.

Application filed May 9. 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, B. G. OOVINGTON, of Fort Mill, in the county of York and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Blowers for Fire- Places; and I do hereby declare that the fol-- lowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in screens for open fire-places in summer, and which may also be used as blowers to increase the draft.

The objects of the invention are to provide housekeepers with a screen to cover their fireplaces in summer, whichmay also be used as a fender to protect the house from danger of sparks, coals that pop out from burning wood, and pieces of wood that sometimes fall from the tire, and is intended to be used when the family retire at night,or when on any account the room is left unoccupied with tire in it; also, to combine with the above screen and fender a blower for the purpose of kindling fires ofwood, as used'on old-fashioned firedogs. Whenever the fire has been sufficiently kindled the screen is to be removed. These objects are secured by devices shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of an old-fashioned wood-burning fire-place with the screen or blower in position. Fig. 2 is a vertical sec- 3 is a view of the screen or blower, taken from the side next the fire-place.

A is the mantel; H, the space between the mantel and the fire-place. B is the screen or blower. N is the air-port. d (1 are dampers or slides. G G are knobs or handles attached to the dampers d d. s s are slots through which the handles project and permit their movement backward and forward when opening and shutting off the draft.

, The blower or screen B is made of a flat piece of sheet metal in order that it may fit closely up to the brick-work of the fire-place. In order to stiffen the sheet of metalof which I form the screen or blower, I rivet a wide plate, 1, across it on the back. The upper part of the platel is made flat 5 but to stiffen it and make it more rigid, and at the same time form a channel for the upper edge of the dampers l d d to slide in, it is bent outwardly and then downwardly. This leaves a narrow space between the back of the screen or blower and the plate Z, but of sufficient size to admit of the introduction of the upper edges of the dampers d d, and for them to slide therein; and in order to stiffen the bottom of the screen or blower and prevent its buckling at the top, or at any part of its surface, I turn up the lower edge of the'screen or blower on the side next the fire-place, and in this manner form a cheap and etficient means of retaining the lower edges of the dampers by the channel thus formed, and this, too,without the employment of another strip of metal, or of rivets to fasten the two together. 7

U U are knobs or handles by which the screen may be removed, in which case the handle D may be dispensed with, as the screen presents a much neater appearance when used as a screen without the handle D, and the knobs O U may be made of any ornamental pattern and add to the good looks of thescrcen. The screen may be made of iron, brass, or other suitable metal, and is intended to fit smoothly over the fire place.

Having described myinvention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fire-place screen or blower made of a flat piece of sheet metal, having its lower edge turned up so as to form a channel, and a trans verse plate, 1, bent outwardly and downwardly,

its upper surface made flat, so as to fit against the screen B, and riveted thereto, in the manner described, so that between the lower edge of the plate 1 and the screen or blower B an opening or channel will be left for the introduction of the dampers d d, as described, and

for the purposes set forth.

2. A fire-place screen or blower formed of a sheet-metal plate, B, provided with knobs or handlesG C, and havingaplate, l, riveted across the back, and having its bottom turned upwardly and backwardly, in combination with an air-port near the bottom, having two dampers, cl at, each provided with a separate handle, G G, and each working independently of the other, substantially as described, and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses: B. G. COVINGTON.

J E. MAssEY, B. J. TRUESDEL. 

